Megami no Ooi (Is in the Eye of the Beholder)
by Richard Ryley
Summary: In the aftermath of Xylix's "Haigeki", Ukyou returns to Nerima. What she finds will shake her faith in Ranma Saotome, and place her in the middle of a battle for Japan's most powerful resource - magical girls.
1. Return to Nerima

"Megami no Ooi (Is in the Eye of the Beholder)"

by Richard Ryley

Chapter 1

It had been a year since she last saw Ranma.

Ukyou Kuonji walked along the streets of Nerima, smiling as she took in the sights. After such a long time away, it was like returning home, to a lot of fond memories. She had returned once for a visit, about two months after she left, as she had promised. But seeing Ranma Saotome again so soon had only reopened wounds both old and new.

It had been hard, admitting to herself that the man she once loved had never loved her in return. And Ranma's new form and identity had only made the reunion harder. So, after a tense and awkward visit, she had bid her old friend goodbye again, and set off across Japan, going wherever the wind would take her.

After a year of travelling, Ukyou felt ready to return. A lot had changed. She had changed, and she knew that Ranma had changed as well. Considering what she and Ranma had gone through, it was a wonder that they had survived at all. No one could go through what they had been through and not be changed.

A year ago, she and Akane Tendo had been captured by a group of magical girls, the improbably named Pretty Princess Institute. Normally, she would have considered such an offering flattering, but both she and Akane had been tortured mercilessly, subjected to a tiara-like device that caused incredible pain when they disobeyed, and forced to become magical girls whether they wanted to or not.

It would have been bad enough if they had just been forced to join the Institute against their will, but the whole thing was just a trap for their real target, Ranma. There was a certain amount of insult in knowing that your captors felt a MAN would be more valuable to them as a magical girl than you were.

With Ranma's help, Ukyou had escaped, but Ranma had of course insisted on returning for Akane. A dark cloud of jealousy settled over her eyes before she shook it off. Naturally, the stubborn tomboy had refused the help, and naturally, it was a trap. The senshi at the Institute were ready and waiting for his rescue attempt.

They had tortured him, then, subjecting him to mind altering techniques that had changed him, irrevocably. He became the pet project of Artemis Serenity Silvervine, the Director of the Institute. Ranma managed to escape, of course, but by the time he rejoined Ukyou, he was no longer the Ranma Saotome that she knew. Among other things, Ranma had become a magical girl, and had so embraced her feminine side that Ukyou had trouble calling her "him" any more.

The reborn magical girl Ranma had turned her wrath upon Artemis. Even in that, the stakes of the fight were so far beyond her understanding that Ukyou wasn't sure she wanted to know the whole story. Artemis was apparently part of that alleged "Moon Kingdom" that had given Sailor Moon her powers, and her plans had been the complete destruction of the Earth, in order to remake it into a magical girl utopia.

She and Konatsu had offered their help in the fight. So, in order to stop Artemis, Ranma had used her own powers to give Ukyou the boost needed to become a magical girl as well. With the help of some other allies, Cologne and Shampoo among them, Artemis had been defeated and killed. And when Artemis Serenity Silvervine died, Ranma took her place as Director, driven by the responsibility of the choices she had made.

She now realized the cost of those choices. At times, she could feel Ranma's presence within her mind, and she could feel a force inside her, pushing her to be loyal to the Institute and its Director. She knew that it wasn't Ranma's fault, it was what the Institute was trying to do to the cursed boy turned girl; they were trying to make her into a magical girl factory which would create and indoctrinate senshi in one fell swoop. She was grateful that for all the times she felt Ranma touch her, she was trying not to influence her, only check up on her. Not that her opinion wasn't biased, but Konatsu had reported the same thing, and was certain he sensed Ranma's reluctance to use the power.

She looked over at her companion, who walked beside her, dressed in a feminine kimono as always. Over the last year, her relationship with Konatsu had changed as well. Not that she was ready to explore a romantic entanglement so soon after the last, heartbreaking failure, but they were closer friends now than they had ever been. And she found his attention and his submissiveness to her less annoying and more endearing lately.

He had proven his loyalty her again and again, over the last year, and she was very glad to have him along. She still wasn't sure she was happy with him acting and dressing like a girl, especially with her own insecurities about her femininity. But she had to admit, they were both pretty messed up individuals. Together, they had been helping each other to be just a little bit more normal. And, despite herself, they had grown closer.

If she and Konatsu had changed so much, she mused, perhaps the rest of Nerima had changed as well. And unlike before, she was looking forward to seeing all of them. Akane, Shampoo, the Tendo and Saotome families, Ryoga, and all of the people whose lives had seemed to revolve around Ranma Saotome. How had they all coped with having Ranma out of their lives, she wondered? Had Ranma made up with her parents and invited them to join her at the Institute? Was Akane still a magical girl, and was she there at the Institute as well?

For a moment, the cloud of jealousy returned, but Ukyou again shook it off. Ranma and Akane hadn't exactly been on the same side in the battle against Artemis. Still, their relationship had seemed to survive worse. It had been too painful to think about back then, so she hadn't asked, and the Director hadn't mentioned her. But now, she felt ready to move on, starting with re-establishing old friendships and forgiving the mistakes of the past.

There was suddenly an explosion from her left, and Ukyou looked up to see a creature smash out through a building wall. She glanced at Konatsu, who shared a knowing look with her. It was a demon, one of the nastier ones, vaguely female-shaped, but hideously ugly. As they turned back to look at the fight, a small dark haired figure rushed out of the hole the demon had made. The human, for it was obviously a human, slammed into the demon and pushed it farther away from the building.

Ukyou then stared in astonishment. It was Akane Tendo! Quite a coincidence, after she had just been thinking about her former rival. She was dressed in a school dress, which was already dirty and ripped. And she was a little thinner than Ukyou remembered, and her hair had grown out, down to about her shoulders. But there was no mistaking that hair color, a sun-bleached shade of black that almost looked blue in the right light. And if that wasn't enough, the scream of fury that came from the girl could only have been that of Akane Tendo.

"Hurry! Run away!" She yelled, at a crowd of girls that were even now cautiously peeking out of the destroyed wall. "I'll buy you time, get away while you can!" With that, Akane leaped back into the fray.

"Foolish human!" the demon countered, with its usual distain for normal mortals. "You dare to stand between me and my prey! For that, I will devour your energy last... but your fight ends now!" It slapped the hapless girl with an outstretched arm, and she slammed into an undamaged part of the wall.

Why wasn't Akane transformed? Ukyou was distracted for a moment, by a memory of Akane in a childish-looking plastic dress, protected by molded armor plates and wielding a gigantic Pico Pico hammer. She had assumed that Artemis had forced her transformation, her "tenki", just as Ranma had forced Ukyo's tenki. But she had never bothered to find out if the transformation was permanent.

Maybe without Artemis to help her, and still mad at Ranma for rescuing her yet again, Akane had returned home to her family. Ukyou abandoned that train of thought, as Akane struggled back to her feet, painfully slowly. This was not the time, and if Akane was no longer a magical girl, then she was a sitting duck.

Ukyou glanced at Konatsu again, then unslung her giant spatula and raised it over her head. Despite what the common folk might believe, magical girls didn't have to make a physical gesture or say a magical phrase to activate their henshin. Even so, Ukyou preferred to, just so her megami no ooi didn't just trigger a transformation based off of a stray thought. It was already getting harder and harder to hold tenki back when the situation DIDN'T call for it. She did, however, draw the line at shouting out a transformation phrase. She wasn't one of Usagi Tsukino's Sailor Senshi. Those girls apparently liked the limelight, but Ukyou had spent the last year trying to avoid attention.

Ranma had explained this to her the first time she had helped Ukyou transform. First, Ukyou felt her megami no ooi, the sense of her own feminine beauty, expanding. The crossdressing okonomiyaki chef of before wouldn't have had the confidence to do this, but Ranma's help had made it second nature. Then, her haigeki, a spiritual force connected to her battle aura, began to cleanse and purify her aura. This was somewhat akin to how priests would use their ki to weaken and seal away demons.

Then came the rough part. Shuken, haigeki's spiritual opposite would rip apart the imperfections in her clothes and body, and impose her will on them, making them beautiful. Ukyou was well aware of how vain and egotistical the whole thing was, but she couldn't argue with the results.

When the blinding light faded, Ukyou's clothes had changed. Over the last year, Ukyou had continued wearing her okonomiyaki vendor's outfit, even though she hadn't sold any okonomiyaki in over three months. Her tenki had taken the theme of her uniform, and turned it into a frilly, sparkling display of bare skin and lace.

Her main color was lavender, although she had inherited the pink highlights from Ranma. A stitched on apron blended in with the outfit's short skirt. Her legs were wrapped in ribbons, which ended at platform shoes on her feet. Her brown ponytail was also tied off with an elaborate ribbon.

Beside her, Konatsu's transformation was even more dramatic. A dark lavender bodysuit covered the kunoichi's shape, its color a nod to Ukyo's. Unlike the typical magical girl outfit, Konatsu's had no skirt, although a long loincloth partially covered her legs. Small, dark weapons on the belt and along the suit's neckline took the place of frills and ribbons.

Most astonishingly, the crisscrossing bandoliers over Konatsu's chest outlined her prominent breasts. A cutout over her cleavage proved conclusively that her femininity was not an illusion. Despite Konatsu's manner and dress, Ukyo knew that the ninja was a man, underneath, at least until tenki took over. Then, Konatsu's self image was actually able to tear her body apart, and rebuild it to be the woman she had always wanted to be.

That thought always sent chills up her spine. Concentrating on the here and now, Ukyou prepared her attack against the demon. Other senshi might shout a challenge or a warning, but Ukyou was more practical. Plus, the demon had picked up Akane, and was holding her, as she struggled to escape. "Run!" She shouted again to her friends. "Forget me, just run!" The monster then threw Akane down, and she fell limp to the ground.

Ukyou brandished her spatula, and the sunlight reflected off of it. The light seemed to refract and split into pieces, and then a dozen tiny spatulas formed in the air around her. The spatulas blazed with heat, firing a volley of energy blasts into the demon. It roared, and turned to face its attackers.

Konatsu flickered and vanished. She reappeared behind the demon, with her wakizashi drawn. She brought it down, and a massive blast of energy cut across the demon. It was driven forward by the blast. Ukyo had time to build up another blast with her spatula attack, and this time the demon was reduced to dust.

Ukyou shouldered her spatula, and then walked over to Akane to awaken her. The girl took a few moments to come back to consciousness. As Ukyou got a good look at Akane's face, she gasped.

Akane WAS thinner than she remembered, a lot thinner. She looked pale, and drawn, and her face was sunken, without as much of the roundness she had when Ukyo saw her last. Although she had never been a fat girl, despite all of Ranma's claims to the contrary, she was almost bony, now. And although her muscle tone was still good, it wasn't anywhere as good as it had been a year ago. She looked like she had been recuperating from a long illness.

As Akane opened her eyes, Ukyou noticed the dark circles around them. The black haired girl heaved a tired sign of relief. "Senshi. Thank heavens. I thought I was a goner, there."

"Why did you attack that demon, Akane? If you don't have any magical girl powers, you shouldn't fight demons. They're way too strong for... ordinary martial artists." She was about to say "someone in your condition", but given what she knew about Akane, she would react badly to that.

Akane nodded. She stumbled trying to stand up. Ukyou put an arm around her, helping her to her feet. "I had to try. There was no one else around. I had to get those other girls to safety." She had her face lowered, but raised her head to look into Ukyou's eyes. "I didn't see you there, so I thought their only chance was for me to distract it."

Ukyou's mind boggled for a moment. At first she had thought Akane was just being foolhardy, but she had intended to sacrifice her life for those girls. Ranma was always complaining about her doing things like that, and Ukyou had always thought she was pretty foolish for not listening to him. But here, Akane had rushed right into danger, and didn't have Ranma to back her up. Reluctantly, Ukyou had to admit that took a lot of courage.

"Well, at least we showed up. Let's take you home and get your wounds looked at." Ukyo said. Konatsu faded into view next to her, and then returned to his normal form. To her credit, Akane didn't seem shocked, although she did look at him.

Akane looked back at Ukyou, curious. "You mentioned my name before. Do you know me?"

Ukyou looked confused. Ordinarily, her megami no ooi didn't hide her identity, as it did with Usagi's Senshi. But maybe her appearance was just too outlandish. She let her tenki go, reverting back to her normal form. "It's me, Akane. It's Ukyou."

"Ukyou? Do I know you?" Akane studied her face carefully. "Have we met?"

Ukyou was boggled again. Had Akane lost her memory? "Yes, Akane, we met about two years ago. We were... well, I guess you could say we were friends."

"Ah, that explains it." Akane stood up on her own feet. Konatsu helped her to stand, and she thanked him.

"I lost my memory in a terrible accident about a year ago," Akane said. "The last thing I remember is going to grade school. I lost a whole year of my life, while I was in high school. I'm in my Senior year now, but I don't even remember my Freshman year."

"My God..." Ukyou grabbed Akane by the shoulders, and turned her to look into her eyes. There was no sign of recognition there. "Ranma..." she muttered breathlessly. "What have you done?"

At the name, Akane's eyes widened. "Ranma! Did... Do you know Ranma?"

"Yes..." Ukyou studied her carefully. "Do you remember him?"

Akane shook her head, sadly. "No. It's just... my family, and Uncle Genma and Auntie Nodoka, they sometimes mention him when they think I'm not listening. They never tell me who he is. They just hush up, and whenever I ask about him, they just say that he's dead, and no one should speak ill of the dead."

Ukyou swallowed. "I can imagine. Well, if you don't remember Ranma, maybe it's best if you don't ask about him."

"Where is he?"

"Somewhere far from here," Ukyo said. The Pretty Princess Institute wasn't in Nerima, although it was a bus ride away. "You might even say that he is dead."

"Is see..." Akane looked at the ground, thoughtfully.

"Akane, what happened to you?" Ukyou's mind again shot her an image of Akane in her childishly cute dress, swinging her Piko Piko hammer, which made an incongruous "squeak" before demolishing whatever it touched. She remembered how Shampoo and Konatsu had brought her down. Akane had chosen the wrong side, and at the time, Ukyou had believed that Akane deserved whatever she had coming to her. But Akane didn't ask for what happened to her. Ukyou shuddered at a memory of _agony_ from the tiara. If Ukyou had been the one to give in... Hell, she WOULD have given in if Ranma hadn't rescued her, she wasn't vain enough to think otherwise... would she have shared the same fate?

Akane took a deep breath and put a hand to her head. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this... burdening you with my problems. But you just seem like someone I can trust." She looked up and smiled, and for the first time, Ukyou saw a fleeting glimpse of the old Akane. She was forced to hold her tongue as her conscience reminded her of all the reasons the old Akane WOULDN'T have reason to trust her. Instead, she smiled and nodded.

"It all started about a year ago," Akane said. "I don't remember any of this, this is just what my family has told me. Apparently, I was asked to join the Pretty Princess Institute, the school for magical girls. I guess I said yes. I was taken away, and my family wasn't able to see me for a long time. Finally, just about the time they really started to miss me, and regret my decision, all of a sudden just I showed up on the front walk, unconscious and with an intense fever. It seems I was dumped there."

Ukyou frowned. That was an awfully cleaned up version of the story. Akane hadn't agreed to join the Institute, she had been kidnapped. But maybe her family didn't want her to think they would come back for her or something.

"Whatever happened to me at the Pretty Princess Institute, I guess it failed. I was really sick. At first, no one knew what to do about me, I was weak, and delirious. Then Nabiki managed to find Dr. Tofu." Akane stared off into the distance, her eyes starting to get misty. "I didn't even know he was gone. Last I remember, he was still at the clinic and taking care of me as always. But apparently in that year I lost, he moved away.

"Anyway, Dr. Tofu said that there was some damage to my ki. Part of it had been... ripped out. It's left me weak, and tired all the time." She looked down. "I get sick really, really easily, and when I do, it takes time for me to recover. With Dr. Tofu's help, I was able to get better, but by the time I did, I had lost most of my strength. I had to start my martial arts training all over again."

Ukyou nodded. That explained the weight loss and the decrease in her muscle tone. Without making it obvious, she began to shift her ki sight, in order to look at Akane's aura. As a magical girl, she could do that easily, plus her martial arts training helped her understand some of what she was seeing. Her talk with Ranma about the nature of tenki had filled in the rest. Maybe she couldn't see as clearly as with Michiko's glasses, but a year of exploring her new powers and training with them helped focus her concentration.

As Akane's aura came into view, Ukyou gasped again. Akane's tenki was GONE. Not just disabled, not just dormant, it had been ripped out of her aura. She had no haigeki, she had no shuken, and even her megami no ooi was damaged. Not that that part of her aura had been that strong to begin with. There were even signs that her magical potential had been removed, not that Akane had ever expressed any interest in the occult. That was more Gosunkuji's area.

And there was a huge, gaping hole in her ki. It was ragged, and inflamed; even though it had healed up, the edges were, figuratively speaking, red and swollen. This wasn't even a clean operation. It was surgically precise, of that Ukyou had no doubt, but it was like killing a mosquito with a flamethrower. Any part of her ki that had ever been corrupted by her tenki was gone now, removed along with its corruption. The disruption in her ki flow was like a cancer, or more like, the rest of the body after the removal of a cancer. It was no wonder she found it hard to heal and ward off disease.

Fortunately, there were signs that she was getting better. Her ki was stronger in areas away from the wound, and showed signs that she had learned meditation and focus. She assumed that this was a sign that someone had been training her, probably her father, and since Akane had mentioned him, Genma as well. If the training continued, her healing would get better, as the ki healing took over for her physical body's natural healing. And she would get stronger as well. The training would have to be intense, far tougher than anything Akane had been through before, but it could take up the slack.

Akane continued her tale, as she had not noticed Ukyo's distraction. "Anyway, I was starting to get better, and father and Uncle Genma were training me, when something even worse happened..."

She paused a moment, as her mood became dark and frightened. Then she went on. "I had been out of school for a while since I was so sick, and as far as I knew, my last memory of school was grade school. I had no idea what was waiting for me in high school, but I was excited. I had been told I had lots of friends, including Yuka and Sayuri, so I knew there would be familiar faces there..."

Her face became even more clouded. "Only... nobody told me about Kuno, or his challenge to the other boys. I didn't even remember meeting him. I was walking to school, looking forward to my first day, when all these boys came charging at me, yelling about how they all loved me, and they were going to beat me, and I would have to go on a date with them."

Ukyou's eyes widened. She had never seen the morning fights when they first happened, of course, but they had started again when Akane transferred the engagement to Nabiki. She hadn't cared, at the time, too busy attacking Nabiki, but she had seen it happen. "They... they didn't...?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"No." Akane shook her head. "I had no idea what was going on, though. There was no time to prepare. I struck out blindly, my instincts kicking in, but as weak as I was, I could barely stop them. They overwhelmed me... I held my own for a while, but then I tripped. I fell down, and some of them fell on top of me, and..."

Ukyou's eyes were as wide as they could be. Akane shuddered, then went on. "Somehow, Sayuri and Yuka managed to force their way through the crowd. My dress was ripped, and a couple of the boys had hit me, but they got to me before... anything more could happen." She fell silent, her eyes haunted. "Nabiki showed up, too, and started ordering the group to disperse. Everyone seemed to listen to her.

"She told me later, somehow her contacts had missed Kuno getting the morning attacks back together. She apologized for miscalculating so badly, and promised to prevent any betting on my fights until I got better. I got the feeling she meant her own bets, but she said she'd stop anyone else who tried to challenge me."

"And that doesn't bother you?" Ukyou asked, disturbed. Where was the proud overconfident Akane who always said she could win her own fights?

Akane just shrugged. "What choice do I have? I can't fight in my condition." There was a harsh finality in her voice. "I'm going to have to get better... before I can do that.

"I feel like... like I lost an arm, or something." Perhaps as a sympathetic gesture, Akane clutched at her arm, holding it close to her side. "I feel like there's a part of me missing. A hole... in my life... that I just can't fill. Even after I started going back to school, it was a struggle, every day. I didn't realize how much of my memory I had lost until I started taking classes. I ended up being put back - but even that didn't help. There are... gaps... in my memory from before. It's random. I don't know what I'm going to end up having forgotten."

She looked up at Ukyou with a wry grin. "I had forgotten what six times seven was. Nothing else, just that one multiplication problem. I had to learn it all over again. It's all like that."

"Eventually, father pulled me out of school. He's home schooling me, and Kasumi is helping as well. They say I'm catching up but... it's hard. It's hard to have the will to... keep going. My martial arts will never be what it was before, and that's all I've ever cared about. If I can't have that... I don't know what I'm going to do."

She was silent for a long moment. Then she spoke, in a whisper. "I've thought about ending it. I can't... I can't really, Kasumi would be so unhappy... the rest of them too, but..."

Ukyou shifted uncertainly. She didn't know what to say. She knew more about what happened than Akane did, but maybe it was better if she didn't know. She couldn't help but think that if Ranma had been unable to get to her in time, this might have happened to her. Akane had been brainwashed by Institute, and maybe this was the only way Ranma could reverse the brainwashing. She wanted to think that if Akane had given in of her own free will, Ranma wouldn't have resorted to that. But that was Ranma. She wasn't sure what to think of the Director of the Pretty Princess Institute.

In the silence, Konatsu leaned over. "Mistress Ukyou," he said. "I do not think Ran... the Director would wish us to leave her like this. We can at the very least escort her home."

"Yes, of course." Ukyou shoved aside her disturbing thoughts and focused on the present. "So, Akane, you're training with Genma Saotome, is that it? I'm sure if anyone can get you back in shape, he can."

"Oh, do you know Uncle Genma?" Akane looked interested.

"I've met him before," she grimaced. "He and I don't have the best history, though. We don't exactly get along."

Akane nodded as if in understanding. "He is a harsh trainer. Father has to hold him back, sometimes. But I want to get stronger. I want to prove to him that I can do it."

Ukyou shuddered at the thought of Genma's training. She hoped Soun was able to spare his daughter the worst of it. "So... where did you meet Genma, anyway?" She eyed Akane carefully, wondering if she suspected there was a connection between Genma and his son.

"Oh, Uncle Genma and Auntie Saotome have always been there. They were there the day I awakened. I didn't have any memory of them, of course, but apparently I met them during the year I lost. Uncle Genma and my father trained together."

"Yeah, I'd heard that." She grimaced. "Have you met their master?"

"No, I don't think so." Akane looked thoughtful. "I think I saw him once. My father was talking to him, asking him to help train me. But he said that I was so weak, his kind of training would be dangerous to me." She looked down. "He was a funny little man. It sounded like he was in a hurry to move out and go somewhere else."

"Akane, why don't I help train you?" Ukyou didn't like the dejected tone in Akane's voice. "We used to spar together sometimes, although we never formally trained together. But I always felt you had a lot of untapped potential. Why, if we set our minds to it, I'm sure we can make you just as strong as you used to be. Maybe even stronger!"

Akane looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course!" Ukyou patted the other girl on the back, genially. "Don't you remember... um, I mean, I know a guy who received this moxibustion that made him as weak as a baby. He never gave up, and he trained hard to learn this technique that didn't use strength, so he could fight the guy who weakened him, and convince him to give him his strength back. And it worked, too!"

Akane smiled, shyly. She looked like she was trying not to get her hopes up. "Okay. If you are willing to try, then I'll do my best."

"Of course, Akane. Let's take you home."

* * *

It took only a few minutes to make it to the Tendo home, and Ukyou smiled at the familiar setting. Akane walked in the front door, calling out a greeting, then continued to the family room. Kasumi favored Ukyou with her usual smile, but the others were more cautious. She noticed that Genma was sitting at the table next to his friend Soun. Nodoka was sitting a little bit apart from them, next to Nabiki.

"Everyone, this is Ukyou. She says that she is an old friend of mine, although of course I don't remember her."

"Hello," Ukyou said, bowing to the others. "I've been away for a long while, but I've decided to return to Nerima." She glanced at Akane. "I hope Akane and I can... um... renew our friendship."

Nabiki raise a speculative eyebrow at that, and Soun and Genma both glared at her. But Nodoka gave a polite nod. "We are happy to welcome a senshi of the Pretty Princess Institute to our home," she said. "Might I inquire as to the health of your Director?"

Ukyou returned Nodoka's gaze, a bit intimidated by the cool hostility of her expression. "I am not here in any official capacity, Mrs. Saotome," she said. "You have all met Konatsu, my companion?"

Konatsu nodded to them. As he did, Ukyo continued. "I have not been to see..." she paused, "... the Director since my return, but I will inform her of your concern, if that is your wish."

Nodoka turned back to the table. "That will not be necessary. If this is a personal visit, then I will speak no further on the matter."

Ukyou frowned. Apparently Ranma had NOT resolved things with her parents as she had hoped. As she considered her next move, Akane interrupted.

"If you will excuse me, everyone, I am going to bed," Akane said. "I'm suddenly very tired, and I can't wait for supper. Kasumi, if you would bring me up my meal, I would appreciate it."

"Oh, my," Kasumi commented. "Are you all right?"

"It's okay. I'm just tired, is all."

"I'm not surprised," Ukyo said kindly. "After all, you fought off that demon. You must be exhausted."

Both Genma and Soun leapt to their feet. "What!" Soun shouted. "You let a demon attack my little girl?"

"It was nothing!" Akane shot back, cutting Ukyo a harsh glare. "It was just a little demon, and I distracted it until my friends could escape."

The two men rushed over to her. "Akane, you are not ready to take on such a challenge," Genma told her sternly. "You could have been injured or even killed!"

"Waaaah!" Soun wailed. "My baby girl!"

"Mr. Tendo, Mr. Saotome, please!" Ukyou cut in. She had obviously stepped into something, and didn't want Akane to get into trouble. "Akane was very brave, but she didn't take any undue risks. As soon as she saw Konatsu and I were in the area, she stepped back and let us handle it."

"Is this true?" Genma asked, eyeing the pony tailed chef suspiciously. Behind him, Akane shot her a look of gratitude.

"Even if Akane had been in any trouble, fighting demons is what we magical girls do. I was happy to help, and we were lucky to come along when we did. If it weren't for Akane's quick thinking, the demon would have started draining the girls' energy, and Akane would have been caught anyway!"

Genma turned back to Akane. "Is that demon draining your ki why you are so tired?"

Akane put a hand to her forehead. "I don't know. Maybe. I just want to go to bed, Father, Uncle. It's been a long day."

"Of course." Ukyo took her by the shoulder and hurried her down the hall. "We'll talk tomorrow, you and I. Maybe we'll go on a picnic or something! It's good to see you again, and I hope we can catch up again real soon."

"Thank you, Ukyo," Akane said. She smiled as she looked up at the taller girl. "I'm sorry I don't remember you, but I'm sure that we can be great friends." Then she seemed to sag a bit. "I'm just so tired..." She shuffled off towards the stairs.

"I'll bring you your supper in a few minutes, Akane," Kasumi called out. "Have a nice rest!"

As soon as Akane was out of earshot, Genma and the Tendos rounded on Ukyou. "What are you doing here?" Genma growled. He was keeping his voice down, but his tone was still just this side of roaring in outrage. "Did that ungrateful boy send you?"

"As I said, I have not seen Ranma in over a year. I had to..."

Nodoka interrupted. "We do not use that name in this house," she said, coldly. "My son is dead. The Director of your Institute bears the name Saotome because that is the name she is known by in the government. However, officially she is a niece of Genma and myself. For Akane's sake, especially, I ask you not to mention that name again."

Ukyou was drawn up short by this admission. Things had definitely not gone well. Her shoulder slumped. "My apologies, Mrs. Saotome. I meant no disrespect." She looked up. "As I was saying, I had to leave, after the Director took over the Institute. I had some things to work through, not the least of which were my feelings for... her.

"I returned two years later for a visit, but left soon after. I been on the road for a year since then, and although I am officially a senshi of the Institute, my loyalties do not lie with them. Not entirely, anyway..." Ukyou's voice trailed off, as she gazed at the floor.

Nabiki moved up to stand beside her. "We have no need of either your help, or the help of your so-called 'Director'," she said. "Don't you think you've done enough?"

Ukyou swallowed as she turned to look into the Tendo girl's eyes. She had never know Nabiki to feel compassion for anyone, and even now, her expression was more critical and calculating than filled with empathy for her sister's plight. But from what Akane had said about Kuno and his "friends", Nabiki may have had reason to question her judgment. It was a start.

"Look, I know I made mistakes. Ranch... The Director too. You don't know what happened there." She met Nabiki's gaze unflinchingly. "You don't know what we all went through. You may know some of it, but not all of it. I probably know more than you do, but even I don't know everything. I'm as caught off guard by all this as you are."

"Maybe I did ignore Akane. Maybe I didn't think about what this would mean to her. But that's because I was too busy with what it meant to me." She averted her eyes, running a hand through her hair. "I was hurt, and I had changed... so much, and I didn't know who I was any more. I had to get away, to wander the world, and find out who I had become. And Konastu, he needed the break, too."

The boy in the feminine kimono smiled shyly, and Ukyou took his hand. Then she turned back to Nabiki. "And then I get back here and find out that Akane has apparently had her magical girl powers taken away, and it's left her weak and sickly. I don't understand it, Ran... the Director has changed, she's not the person she used to be. I don't know what she's capable of any more. I'd like to think he... she had a good reason, that no matter how she felt before, she would still feel responsible for Akane since she's one of her senshi."

"But she isn't anymore, is she?" Nabiki's tone was cold. "And your 'Director' just abandoned her like last week's trash..."

"No... I won't believe that!" Ukyou said. Although she was having a hard time holding on to that belief in the face of the evidence. "Ranma went in there to get Akane and I OUT of that place, and whether Akane wanted it or not, that's what he DID. And I know Akane was brainwashed by the former Director." Ukyou sighed. "Maybe this was the price of reversing that brainwashing."

"That was our conclusion as well," Genma said. "At least we are a position to help Akane. With my training, she can get stronger again, and we will succeed, where we failed with that boy." He frowned, and Ukyou was again reminded of why she had never liked that old panda. She would have to watch out for Akane, and make sure Genma never tried any of his crazier training techniques on her.

"At least the schools are finally joined," Soun said forlornly. "It may not have happened as we hoped, but now Akane is the heir to both the Tendo and Saotome schools of Anything Goes."

Ukyo turned back to Nabiki, who was still regarding her cautiously. "I'll be happy to help with the training as well," Ukyo said. "And believe me, I'm no happier with the Director of the Pretty Princess Institute than you are." She snorted. "'Pretty Princess Institute'. There's a ridiculous name - and misleading, too - if I ever heard one. I think I'd be happy if I never saw that place ever again."

"Fine," Nodoka said. "You may stay. But you are not to tell Akane anything about the Director, or what happened to her." Ukyou nodded, and Ranma's mother continued. "Dr. Tofu felt that Akane would never get her memories back, but telling her about the Director might reawaken fragments of memory that could be disturbing, or might cause her emotional distress."

"He's probably right," Ukyo agreed. "Akane went through a horrible experience. It's best if she doesn't remember."

"So what happened with you?" Nabiki asked, her voice probing. "Akane returned to us weak and with no powers. How come you're not the same way?"

"Don't think I hadn't considered that," Ukyou said, wrapping her arms around herself. "But the simple answer is, R... Saotome did this to me, not Director Artemis. I became a magical girl, but I didn't undergo the brainwashing that altered Akane's personality."

"What about Saotome?" Nabiki looked as if she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, he... she went through it. That she is what she is today proves that. She fought back, though. They changed her, but they didn't break her."

"And Akane broke?"

Ukyou shuddered. The memory of _agony_ was still as fresh as it was a year ago. The long hours she spent studying the Institute's lessons. The frustration of struggling with her megami no ooi, trying and failing to form her tenki. And the whole time, that damned tiara, always ready to punish her at the slightest hint of defiance. Even after all this time, it still haunted her dreams.

Ukyou stared Nabiki in the eye. "I know I would have."

* * *

"It's been a while since I've made okonomiyaki," Ukyou said, "and I had to improvise without a proper griddle in your kitchen. But I hope you like it."

"Well, for me, it'll be the first time trying your okonomiyaki," Akane said cheerfully. "So I'm sure I'll love it."

As Ukyou had promised, she had packed a picnic lunch for herself and Akane, and had set out for the park for their meal. It was nice to see Akane smiling again, it had been so long since she had seen any of the folks from the old days, and Akane's dour mood had made it hard for Ukyou to stay upbeat. Although it was obvious that Akane had no memory of what she had been through, Ukyou could tell that the mystery of it was constantly on her mind. Plus, she had been awakened last night by Akane's screaming, from a nightmare that Akane hadn't even been able to describe.

Plus, it was no secret to Ukyou that the Tendo's still resented her. Although they did seem to accept her help with Akane's training. There was little she could do physically outside of sparring with the shorter martial artist. But she could use her powers to try and heal Akane's wounded ki, and make sure that nothing suspicious crept into her aura. Although she could never repair the hole, she could concentrate on the spiritual scars that were left behind.

Akane's mood was improving as well. Since Akane was no longer going to school, she didn't have much chance to see her friends Sayuri and Yuka, and never got to see her other classmates. It was obvious to Ukyou that the girl was lonely, but unwilling to admit it to anyone. One thing that had not changed about Akane was her stubbornness, she was just a lot quieter about it these days. She hoped that with a little time alone, she could coax the old tomboy out of her shell.

She decided to start with what she knew was a hot button topic. If she could turn it into a challenge, Ukyou was sure she could bring out Akane's competitive spirit. "So, have you tried to cook anything lately, Akane? I could teach you to make okonomiyaki, if you like."

"Oh, I don't know how to cook," Akane said, matter of factly. She tasted her okonomiyaki, and her eyes lit up. "Oh, you were right, Ukyou! This is fantastic!"

"What?" Ukyou struggled to regain her bearings. "Um, thank you for that, Akane, but what do you mean you don't know how to cook?" Had she lost that much of her memories? "You used to cook all the time!"

Akane made a face. "I know. My family told me that I started to learn how to cook last year, and it was really horrible. But I don't remember that." She took another bite. "Maybe it's best that I don't remember how to cook, if it was that bad."

"Well, it wasn't THAT bad..." Ukyou said, weakly. "Besides, maybe I can help you get better."

"Why?" Akane looked honestly curious. She was not at all bothered by her inability to cook. "Kasumi is a great cook. I don't have any reason to cook, myself. Why would I want to learn how to cook?"

"Well, because of..." Ukyou cut herself off. She was about to say, "because of Ranma." And in that moment, her brain did a flip-flop. Akane had only ever cooked for Ranma. She had never shown any interest in cooking for anyone else. She had cooked for her family, but only because she was already cooking for Ranma. And without Ranma... Akane no longer wanted to cook.

"Well, a woman really should learn how to cook," Ukyou said, taking a bite of her okonomiyaki herself. "It's not right for you to depend on Kasumi do it if for the rest of your life."

Akane's face fell. "You're right. I never thought of that."

"And besides," Ukyou continued. "You might find a boy you like. You might want to cook for him."

Akane took another bite. "If all boys are like Kuno and his friends, I don't want to have anything to do with boys." Then her expression turned more pensive. She ran a hand through her hair. "Ukyou... how did my hair get cut?"

Ukyou wondered at the non sequitor. "I don't know." She noted again how Akane's hair was growing out. "When I met you, your hair was already short. I thought it had always been that length."

"My family says it was an accident, but they won't say anything else." She stared off into space, still stroking her hair. "It used to be down to my back. I was growing it to be as long as Kasumi's..."

Then she shook off the mood. "I'm sorry, I'm just being silly." She smiled sadly at Ukyou. "I've had a year to realize that Dr. Tofu loves Kasumi, not me. At least he came back for me when I needed him. I'm really grateful to him for that.

"Anyway, you're right. I guess I should learn to cook. What good would it do, though? I already know I'm not any good."

"Don't think about it that way," Ukyou said. "Think of it as, now you can start all over from the beginning. There's no reason to assume you'll make the same mistakes all over again."

"Well, if I don't know which mistakes I made, how can I avoid them?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll teach you. You'll do fine." Ukyou smiled.

"That would be great, Ukyou." Akane studied her new friend for a moment. "So what's it like to be a senshi, anyway? I've heard so much about them, but I was never really interested since my specialty is martial arts." She looked a bit confused. "I'm actually surprised I wanted to join them in the first place."

Ukyou tried not to let her dismay show on her face. "The truth is, I was never really interested in magical girls, either. I kind of got... caught up in things. It's kind of fun, though. I've been traveling all over Tokyo for the last year, and in that time, I've foiled a few monster attacks. I was just in the right place at the right time. It's nice to be able to help people."

"What's the Pretty Princess Institute like?" Akane seemed to be thinking, deeply, and rested her head in her hands.

"It's okay, I guess. It's a lot like school." She sighed. "It can also be like a prison. Magical girls are actually pretty dangerous, and the government likes to keep an eye on them. I actually had to get a special permit to be able to travel. I'm sure the girls there are happy enough, they have their lessons to concentrate on." Ukyou winced at the memory of _agony_ again, at least she hoped the girls where no longer going through that. "I guess once you get to be a full fledged senshi, you've earned a bit more freedom."

Akane was silent for a moment. "I didn't ask to join the Pretty Princess Institute, did I?"

Ukyou eyed Akane cautiously. Despite herself, she felt herself relax. It didn't feel right to keep lying to her. "You figured that out, huh?"

"I've seen the news reports, heard the news stories of how Director Silvervine led a coup against the government and was overthrown. But everyone knows the government doesn't tell the whole story. Rumor is, it was an uprising from within.

"Were you and I... were we captured together?" Akane looked up at her friend.

"Yeah... yeah, we were Akane. We were just innocent victims, caught in the crossfire."

"How did you escape?"

"I had help. A... a girl on the inside. She got me out, then she went back in for you. She... she didn't make it."

"Oh." Akane's face clouded over. "I thought it was Ranma. You know, everybody talks about him, but they won't say anything to my face. Even at school, I heard rumors, but I guess Nabiki told everyone to keep quiet about it."

Ukyou was silent a moment. She was breaking her promise to Nodoka, but it was already too late. Maybe she could share part of the story, to reassure her friend. "I don't like to talk about Ranma. I... I loved him." She looked away.

"Oh. But I thought your friend was a girl?"

"Ranma was there, too." Ukyou wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm sorry, I'll stop asking about him."

"It's all right. He gave his life, to get us out. In the end, he got what he wanted."

Akane nodded. "Ukyou... what happened to me?"

Ukyou hesitated again. "Well, as you've probably guessed, you were captured. You were turned into a magical girl. Director Silvermane she... she brainwashed you. You fought on her side."

Akane looked up, her brown eyes pained. "Did... did you and I fight?"

"Yeah, yeah we did." Ukyou swallowed, then inched closer to Akane. "I wasn't the one who took you down. Konatsu did that, and another girl named Shampoo."

"Was that the girl who helped you?"

Ukyou shook her head. "No. It was the girl who's the Director right now. She's the one who helped us. She risked her life to do that."

"I see." She looked down. "So... when I was defeated... ?"

Ukyou looked off into the distance, gathering her thoughts. "You were brainwashed. Under the control of Director Silvervine. I guess my friend couldn't save you. So she reversed the process the best way she knew how."

"And that left me... crippled."

"Yeah."

There was a long silence. Finally, Ukyou spoke up again. "I can see what happened to you, better than Dr. Tofu. I'm a magical girl myself, after all. Your tenki, what makes you a magical girl, it's been surgically removed. Your tenki, it's a part of your ki, so that hole is where it was cut out."

Ukyou looked at her. "You'll never be a magical girl again, Akane. The ability has been removed."

"Well, that's good," Akane said with a smile. "I never wanted to be one in the first place. No offense, but using magic to give yourself a boost and all these magical attacks... it seems like cheating, to me. I'd rather earn my abilities with hard work."

"Me too," Ukyou said, with a smile of her own. "Although you'd actually be surprised just how hard achieving tenki can be. Not to mention how dangerous. But I always felt it was a bit of a shortcut myself." She grasped her spatula. "Unless it's against demons, I'd rather fight in my own form."

Akane giggled, nodding. She looked as if a weight had been taken off of her shoulders. She stood up, and brushed off her dress. "Well, that okonomiyaki was delicious. However, if you'll excuse me, I need to go, um, wash up. I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay, Akane. I'll be waiting." Ukyo watched as the Tendo girl headed off across the park. Despite her promise, she was glad she had told Akane the story, or at least part of it. Only she, Akane, and Ranma could truly understand what they had been through, and while Akane no longer remembered that torture, she still had to deal with its aftermath. And in that, she and Ukyou had a lot in common, and could support each other.

As Ukyou sat waiting for Akane to return, she heard a noise from a nearby bush. Someone was hissing at her, trying to get her attention. Was that Konatsu? Unsure, she stood up and headed to the bush.

As soon as she neared, an arm snaked out and grabbed her. Ukyou struggled as she was pulled into the bush. As she broke through to the other side, though, she managed to shrug off the hold. She pushed the other girl, for it was a girl, away from her, and stood up, glaring with her hands on her hips.

The girl was dressed in the most glaringly outlandish dress she had ever seen - or would have never seen, if she hadn't become a magical girl. "Over the top" was the standard in senshi uniforms. The girl in front of her was dressed all in pink, with long, crimson hair tied up with ribbons, and cascading in twin tails all the way to her hips. And her dress was figuratively exploding with ribbons, of black and white, they trailed out from her frilly skirt and bodice and surrounded her in a halo of streamers, which flowed and swayed in the breeze.

She had changed from the last time Ukyou had seen her, she was taller, and her face had more of a slender, regal manner, not the impish roundness of before. And her hair, which previously had been a chaotic mix of scarlet and pink, had apparently settled on a sharp delineation, which made her hair look like it had pink highlights. Her hair was longer, too, it had previously been only down to the small of her back. While Ukyou's own senshi outfit made her look cute and playful, even silly, on this girl it worked. Even the extreme nature of her outfit made her look all business.

The embarrassed look on the girl's face, though, and the way she said, "Sorry about that" removed no doubt as to who it was. Even if she didn't recognize the dress, she would never fail to recognize her old friend.

"Ranma Saotome!" Ukyou yelled, fixing her captor with a glare. "Just what in the HELL do you think you're doing?"

* * *

Author's Notes:

This story is a sequel to "Haigeki", by Xylix. As that story centered exclusively on Ranma, I decided to tell this story, which tells the aftermath of Ranma's decision to overthrow Director Silvervine and take her position as head of the Pretty Princess Institute. Xylix had left a number of questions unanswered; if Akane would truly be able to recover from the loss of her tenki as Ranma hoped, if Konatsu was permanently changed into a woman, or only became one as a senshi, and what would happen to all the girls who were frightened by Ranma's bid for power, and did not trust the Institute any more. (Or even, had never trusted it in the first place)

I also plan to explore some other ideas I had, which will be revealed in later chapters. This will not be an action oriented fanfic, with demon attacks and senshi fighting senshi, although I did put that scene in the beginning as a nod to the genre. This also won't be a dark mind rape fic like Xylix's original. Probably, the majority of the story will be dialog, the characters talking to each other, and working out their problems. If you don't like that sort of fanfic, you probably won't like this one.

As Xylix did in his own first chapter, I will take the opportunity here to explain some of the terms from the original story, so they will hopefully not be too confusing. I'm using MY interpretation of the terms here, which may not exactly mesh with the way Xylix saw it.

**Megami no Ooi** [Mantle of the Goddess] - A combination of ki and mystical energies, manifesting a woman's self image as a woman. It is associated with beauty and vanity. This aura is the foundation of all "magical girl" abilities. Even without tenki, it can theoretically be used to power ki attacks, like Ryoga's Shi Shi Hokudan, which is powered by depression, and Ranma's Mouko Takabisha, which is powered by confidence. As such, both attacks can disrupt the magami no ooi, although by how much depends on the will of the senshi.

While men could form a megami no ooi, it is assumed that the vanity and attention to personal beauty involved makes it usable only by women. While it is certainly not true that ALL women are vain and obsessed with beauty, those that aren't wouldn't be able to achieve tenki. Which is the point. They could be helped by an existing senshi, and apparently, a senshi could also empower a man that she was involved in a romantic relationship with.

Of course, anyone who understood that the source of this power is actually vanity might not consider it so appealing. :D

**Tenki** [Turning Point] - A physical transformation, using the opposing forces of haigeki and shuken (described below) to empower the megami no ooi and allow it to enforce its standards of perfection and beauty on the wielder. A side effect of this transformation is that a magical girl cannot be harmed, injured, have her costume ripped, or even get it or her dirty, as to do so would spoil the wielder's beauty. The very fabric of the universe itself can be warped by this magical "law". By extending this law to offense, the magical girl gains "attacks", which purify and destroy things (such as demons) which are ugly.

Over time, the transformation bestowed by tenki "crystallizes" and becomes easier to manage. Removal of this crystallized "matrix" requires a brutal form of spiritual surgery which removes the part of the ki "infected" by the tenki. This process (as described by Xylix) leaves the victim weak, unable to heal properly, and with a severe loss of memory, as well as preventing her from ever using magical girl powers.

**Kinzu** [To Forbid or Suppress] - A priest technique which is the basis of both haigeki and shuken. The priest uses an aura of purity, formed by his love and understanding of the universe, to seal or even destroy demons.

**Haigeki** [To Reject or Denounce] - A derivation of Kinzu which uses a magical girl's own vanity and confidence in her own beauty to form the aura to reject and seal

**Shuken** [Dominion, Supremacy] - The polar opposite of haigeki. While haigeki rejects ugliness and seals it away, Shuken then destroys it, and forces a fantasy over the reality, in which the "impurities" are purified and replaced with beauty. It is this force that allows a magical girl to reject the normal laws of physics and create her own law.

Shuken, and the Tenki which depends on it, can be overcome by imposing your own will, which means that magical girls battle by essentially overriding each other's auras. As Ranma found, once the aura has been counteracted, most magical girls are vulnerable to physical attack. Unfortunately, a magical girl's power is exponential in its progression, not linear. (Possibly because one a magical girl has the will to change the universe, she has the will to change her own strength of will)

That will probably be the last definitions page I will post here, I don't intend to go into as much detail as Xylix did.


	2. Discoveries

"Megami no Ooi (Is in the Eye of the Beholder)"

Chapter 2

Ukyou took a moment to size up the person she had once called her fiancé. Or would fiancée be the right word now? It was hard to believe the statuesque redhead in front of her had ever been a boy. For that matter, it was hard to believe that this Director had once been a petite, rough-and-tumble teenaged girl. Ranma had apparently hit a growth spurt over the last year, because she was now half a head taller than Ukyou, and her legs were impossibly long. Her breasts were now more in proportion to her size, and from what Ukyou could see, properly supported as well. Apparently Ranma's protests about wearing girl's underwear had given way to practicality a long time ago.

Ranma gave her an awkward grin, but even in that, Ukyou could see that this was not the same brash young man she had known before. She carried herself differently, and she had more poise and grace. When they had spoken last, Ranma had mentioned that she had let the Institute's senshi continue their mind altering techniques, if only for convenience and under Ranma's watchful eye. She had the bearing of a leader, and appeared to be taking her responsibilities more seriously now.

Ukyou knew better than that, though. "How could you, Ranma? How could you just rip out Akane's tenki like that, leave her weak and without her memories, and just dump her on her family like she was last week's trash! I thought you CARED about her!"

Ranma's eyes narrowed at her accusations. "Hey, I did the best I could! She had the T09-3 construct! I had no choice!"

"T09... what? What are you talking about, Ranma?"

"T09-3. Akane's tenki was manipulated to implant a second personality, along with her magical girl powers. As Akane used her tenki, the secondary personality would have grown stronger and more dominant until it integrated fully into her spiritual matrix." Ranma uttered the words as if repeating them by rote. Ukyou just raised an eyebrow.

"It's the way they brainwashed her!" Ranma clenched her fists for a moment, looking frustrated, but she couldn't stop herself from yelling at her former friend and ally. "The first girl that they did this to, Emiko, she is compelled to obey any order, no matter how unspeakable! She could be ordered to kill somebody... or even kill herself, and she wouldn't be able to say no!"

Ukyou took a deep breath. "All right, Ranchan, but why take away her tenki? Don't you know how much that meant to her? She may have fought against us, but you of all people know what she must have gone through. Is she really responsible for any of that?"

"I didn't have any choice!" Ranma snapped, a little too loudly. "The personality was embedded in her tenki! I HAD to remove it, to get rid of the programming. If I hadn't, her hatred of me would have grown, until she started to see Artemis as some sort of martyr, that she had to obey, even after death. She would have become something terrible... just like Artemis!

"I know Akane felt that she was being given a family, someone who cared about her, but really, they were just using her. You didn't see, Ucchan, you don't know the kinds of things the girls of the Institute were asked to do. And Akane would have done that, gladly, if the Director had asked her to. And Artemis WOULD have made her do it, in order to get to me.

"The only way to free Akane from that would be repeated 'adjustment'." Ranma shuddered, and although Ukyou had not gone through that process, just the Institute's normal training and the torture of the tiara was more than enough for her. "Anything would be better than that. I'd rather be hated for the rest of my life than put her through that..." Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Even worse, in her anger, and pain, Akane might decide that I had 'destroyed' the Institute, and that she had to 'fix' it. She could hurt innocent people, injure them, kill them, even torture them, the way she had been tortured, in order to 'help' them. She really would become a monster. I know that Akane... the Akane I used to know... the Akane she still is now... would rather die than see that happen."

She paused a moment, her seething turning inward. "And the worst part is, Artemis was just using her to get to me, to hurt me. She didn't have to do that, Akane was happy to become a magical girl. But Artemis just had to turn her into her willing slave... and make sure that I could never get her back."

Ranma looked up into Ukyou's eyes. "Well, maybe I couldn't get her back, and maybe the Akane I knew would have hated me for what I did. But all I wanted to do was get the two of you OUT of that mess, and that's what I did..." She then grimaced sheepishly. "... for the most part."

"Yeah... I'm still a magical girl, after all," Ukyou said, with a bit of a chuckle. "Although I guess I'm glad you didn't drag me back to the Institute."

"Don't think the others didn't want me to," Ranma countered, darkly. "The only reason the Ministry of Justice allows you to wander around free is that I swore on my position as Director that you would NEVER skip out of the country. And I think a number of Cabinet members were hoping you would."

Ukyou returned the redhead's gaze. "Okay, you had no choice. So why didn't you tell HER that? Why turn her over to her family, and expect THEM to deal with it?"

Ranma sighed and turned away. The sudden movement made a handful of ribbons twirl around her skirt. "I had planned to talk to her, after the operation was over. But she couldn't stay at the Institute. The Institute is for magical girls, and Akane and all the other T09's, those that were still new enough to go through the operation, they wouldn't be magical girls any more. We couldn't really justify holding them, or using government resources to house them. The other senshi and I agreed that the best thing would be for them to return home where their families could care for them.

"Only... then I found out Akane had lost all her memories of me." She glanced back at Ukyou, who could see the hurt in her face. She then cast her eyes down, ashamed. "I actually... I didn't find out about this until a couple of weeks after Akane returned home. I was so swamped with paperwork, and trying to get settled into my new responsibilities that I just..."

Ranma shook her head, her pony tails swaying. "Anyway, when I learned that Akane had lost all her memories since meeting me, Michiko told me that in her opinion, the amnesia caused by the procedure should not have been that complete. Akane had only been a Chevalier for a few weeks at the most, there had not been time for her tenki to crystallize to that extent. While she would have had partial amnesia over a period of one to two years, she should have remembered SOMETHING. Her memories would be spotty, but there."

"Like they are for her memories before starting High School," Ukyou suggested.

"Exactly." Ranma paused for a moment, and then continued, her voice shaky. "Kamiko suggested that the most likely explanation was a form of traumatic amnesia, where she had locked away all memory of the time she had known me because that memory was just too painful. If that was the case, then ANYTHING might trigger those suppressed memories; seeing my face, hearing my voice, even hearing my name might trigger memories. Since those memories were probably too painful for her to withstand, there was no way of telling how she would react to suddenly recovering them."

Ranma sighed again. "She could range from the temper tantrum to end all temper tantrums to... a complete break with reality. Too sudden and too extreme a recovery of her memories could drive her insane. And who knows what lasting effects the T09-3 construct would have on top of that."

"About that time, I met with my parents, and tried to explain to them what had happened to me." Ranma scowled. "It did not... go well. I felt that the best thing for Akane was to make a clean break with her. Since... my parents and the Tendos had already decided not to mention my name around her, I figured that was for the best. I did assign some girls to keep an eye on Akane - over Kamiko's objections, she said we couldn't spare the manpower - but we all decided it was best if they didn't let their presence be known."

Ukyou said nothing. She could hear the pain in her friend's voice, but wasn't sure that she could forgive him... her any more than the Tendos could. Maybe with time, that would change. For now, though, just Ranma's mentioning of the name Kamiko had brought up memories of her own torture at the hands of the merciless instructor. She didn't question the woman's professional opinion, but she would probably always question her motives.

"Anyway, I was sure I did the right thing. I hated having to do it, but Akane's strong - she always has been, and I was sure she could handle it." Ranma had turned her back again, and put a hand to her face. "And then I found out about what... Kuno did. And the rest of the boys."

Ranma struggled with herself for a moment, while Ukyou watched in silence. Finally, she continued. "I never meant for that to happen. When my senshi told me about it, I blew up at them, I asked why, if they had a magical girl there on the spot to report back to them, she didn't step in to stop the attack." Ranma's mouth twisted into a scowl. "They said that the girl had been ordered to observe, but not to interfere.

"Right then and there I said that a watch would be placed on Akane 24 hours a day, and if ANYONE EVER threatened her again, they would step in immediately. Kamiko and a few of the others objected, of course, but I wouldn't take no for an answer. As for Kuno, I had the senshi round him up and bring him in." Ranma grimaced again. "Kodachi had... Kodachi had died during the fight with Artemis, and I felt he and his father had a right to know.

"Naturally, Kuno recognized me right away as his 'pigtailed girl', and swore his undying loyalty to me since I had obtained the 'position of royalty' he always felt I deserved. The jackass still thinks I'm going to fall in love with him and make him the 'Director's consort' or some other such nonsense. I've been sending him off on stupid errands to keep him out of my hair and away from Akane for the last year.

"As for Principal Kuno, he tried to cut my hair, and then Michiko and the rest all attacked him. He uttered some nonsense and bounded away. I don't think he even cared about properly laying his daughter to rest."

"Wow," Ukyou commented. "I always thought he was a nutcase, but that's REALLY a nutcase."

Ranma turned back to her with a wry grin. "To make matters worse, a couple of months after that, Happosai showed up. I don't know how he found out about me, but I'm sure he heard about it on the news. Anyway, he shows up once a week or so to make my life miserable. He raids the Institute, grabs some panties, and escapes before any of the senshi can corner him. From what I've heard, he's raided the Institute in the past, but he hasn't been seen in a couple of decades. Apparently, the Director was able to run him off for good, but now that I'm in charge he's obviously testing my leadership."

"Well, I guess that answers the question of what you've been up to." Ukyou smirked for a moment, then looked her Director up and down. "So let me ask the obvious question. What the heck have they been feeding you?"

"Like it?" Ranma gave a feminine twirl, VERY unlike the Ranma that Ukyou used to know. Her face then fell. "It's a side effect of the Director position, I think. Since I swore to Artemis to take her crown and her obligations, I've begun to physically resemble her more and more. I think it has something to do with the Moon Kingdom, and its royal family." She touched the tiara on her forehead, which bore the crescent moon symbol. "I understand Usagi Tsukino will also grow up to look like this."

Ukyou regarded her suspiciously. "Aren't you worried that the crazy moon lady is effecting your mind, as well?"

Ranma frowned. "A little, but I don't think so. I don't feel like pulling the wings off of Terran flies, or anything like that, if that's what you mean."

Ukyou chuckled a bit at the attempt at humor. "Maybe, but admit it, Ranchan. You are talking properly, you're being diplomatic, and you haven't insulted me or Akane once. You've GOT to be brainwashed."

"That's Kamiko's fault," Ranma said, tapping the silver rings holding her hairstyle in place. "I have to admit, I miss the old Ranma too, but I was getting tired of putting my foot in my mouth all the time. Then again, now I can CHOOSE to be polite, or just to be me, whenever I wish. It's a real timesaver."

The conversation fell silent, and for a moment, it seemed like old times. Just two friends, joking around together. Only, there was nothing really to laugh about. Ukyou's tone turned somber. "Ranchan... level with me. If you hadn't saved me from the Institute when you did, would I have turned out like Akane?"

Ranma looked pained. "Yeah," she said, nodding. She didn't hesitate. "They had already given the order. You were going to be 'adjusted' right along with Akane."

"And if I had, would you have done the same thing? Would you have ripped out my tenki, left me a shell of my former self, and dumped me in Ucchan's Okonomiyaki without so much as a goodbye?"

"Well..." Ranma's voice trembled, and she looked away. "I couldn't exactly leave you alone in your restaurant like that. Maybe Konatsu... or maybe I would have left you with the Tendos instead. I'm sure they would take good care of you," she said, her voice soft.

Then her expression hardened, and again, Ranma showed no hesitation. "But yeah. If I had it to do it all over again, I would have done it exactly the same."

"All right then, Ranma," Ukyou began, and her eyes narrowed. "Since you're being diplomatic with me, I'm going to be diplomatic with you. You say that you didn't have a choice. But there's ALWAYS a choice. It may not be a choice you like... but you made a choice. And since you've told me everything that's happened, I'm going to tell you what you DIDN'T say."

"But..." Ranma began, but Ukyou glared at her. Ranma closed her mouth. Her new position as Director often required her to sit and listen as others chewed her out. And unlike all those others, Ukyou was her friend. She owed her the chance to rant.

"It's not that you robbed Akane of her senshi powers, Ranma, or even that you dumped her on her family instead of taking care of her yourself. You've got a good explanation for that, Ranma, and I can buy it. You even nicely explained why you never spoke with Akane yourself, or tried to clear things up with her. But here is what I'm not hearing, Ranma. This is what you left out of your story.

"You delegated your responsibility for Akane to somebody else. Rather than deal with her yourself, you left it to Kamiko and Michiko. Rather than heal her yourself, you returned her to her family. Rather than talk to her yourself, you left it to your mother and father. Rather than protect her yourself, you left it to some senshi."

"I had work to do!" Ranma protested. "I was busy!" Ukyou glared at her again, and Ranma snapped her mouth shut.

"You abandoned Akane, Ranma," Ukyou continued, as if she hadn't been interrupted. "This is what you always do, this is what you and your father have done since you were a child. You say you've got a responsibility now, that you've got to take care of the Institute, but I think that's just an excuse. The Ranma that I know, the Ranma that I grew up with, and the one I came to know again as a teenager, he would NEVER have taken responsibility for somebody else's troubles. He might help somebody who was in need, but once the fight was over, you'd move on.

"That's what you've always done, Ranma. It's what your father does, it's even what your mother did." Ranma's jaw tightened at that, and Ukyou realized she had hit a nerve. "You want to think you're better than that, but deep down, you're still that little boy who doesn't want to take responsibility for anything. Instead, you blame it all on your father, or Akane, or the Amazons, or me. I pursued you for a year and a half, because you didn't have the guts to say what you should have said the first day I showed up in Nerima.

"You're running away. You ran away from me when you were six, you ran away from Shampoo after you defeated her in China, and now you're running away from Akane. You don't want to face her, so you're running to hide in the Institute. It's a convenient place where you can hide in duty and paperwork, and you won't have to face the consequences of what you've done. Because deep down you're afraid that Akane can't forgive you. Because you can't forgive yourself."

Ukyou paused a moment, watching Ranma's reaction. She looked angry, but flinched, as a look of anguish came over her face. Ukyou tilted Ranma's face up to look at her. "Ranchan... I don't think you have enough faith in Akane. Don't you think she can find it in herself to forgive you?"

Ranma's stricken look waged with her obvious desire to snap back with a vicious comeback. Finally, she slumped. "Damn operant conditioning," she said. "It was so much easier when I thought being macho and arrogant could solve all my problems."

"Operant... what?"

"Never mind," Ranma waved a hand. "You're right, of course. I let myself get too caught up in things, and by the time I realized Akane was truly gone, it was too late." She looked up. "Even you had gone, and in a way, I envied you. At least I found the strength to finally tell you the truth... I just wish the price hadn't been so high.

"But there's nothing I can do about that now." Ranma took a deep breath, and then shook her head. "Look, I came here because there were things you needed to know about Akane, and I wanted you to know them. You should be able to help Dr. Tofu treat Akane, and help her get her strength back. I'll try to keep in touch, and if you have any questions or run into any problems, you just come to the Institute. Even though I've made sure you have the freedom to go wherever you want to go, you're still welcome there. I swear it."

Ranma paused again, and then looked up at Ukyou, her eyes pleading. "I know I'm asking a lot, especially after what you just said, but... could you look after Akane for me? The others are still asking me to stop but... with you, I know she'll be safe."

Ukyou couldn't hold back a scowl of disappointment. "I was going to do that anyway, Ranchan."

Ranma looked away. At that moment, a noise from the other side of the bushes told them that Akane was returning. Ranma squatted behind the bushes, preparing to leap away, but Ukyou had one more thing to say. She put a hand on the flustered girl's shoulder. "U-Ucchan?" She questioned, as she looked back at Ukyou.

Ukyou looked into her friend's blue eyes. She could see the panic there, the fear of being caught, and remorse and guilt as well. But she could also see what it was doing to her, holding herself back from just running to Akane and seeing her one last time. Ranma really was in love with Akane, Ukyou reminded herself, and Akane had been in love with him as well, despite their denials. She never had a chance.

"Ranma," she began, intentionally avoiding her nickname for him. "Don't forget, you gave up Akane, and you gave up me, all to take on the responsibility of this Institute. Don't abandon them, like you did me. It was hard enough to let you go; I want to be able to say it was for the right reasons."

Ranma's eyes flashed at the accusation, but she nodded her head. "I won't, Ukyou." She said. Ukyou didn't miss that she hadn't used her nickname either. "The original conditioning tried to make me loyal to the Institute, but even it if hadn't, I wouldn't have changed my mind." She lowered her eyes. "I lost a lot of things in there, but one thing I gained is that sense of responsibility you were talking about. I can't walk away from this. I... I care too much."

"Good." Ukyou glanced back at Akane, then waved her hand. "Go, just go. I'll take care of her."

The girl leapt away, vanishing into the trees in a swirl of ribbons.

Ukyou came from behind the bush, and Akane looked up. "There you are. What were you doing back there? Were you just talking to someone?"

"I thought I saw something," Ukyou lied, "But there was no one there. Must have been my imagination."

"It might have been one of Nabiki's friends," Akane said, turning back to pick up the leftovers from their picnic. "She has them keep an eye on me sometimes. I catch a glimpse of them now and then, when they think I'm not looking."

"Oh." Ukyou mulled that over. Was Akane seeing Ranma's senshi keeping an eye on her, or was Nabiki really sending her friends to watch over her as well? Probably, it was both. It sounded like something Nabiki would do. She wondered if one of her spies had seen her meeting with Ranma just now. Oh, well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

Ukyou helped Akane gather up the picnic cloth, and the two of them headed back to the Tendo's.

* * *

As they crossed the gate into the Tendo compound, Ukyou got another surprise. There, in the front yard, was a small black pig. As it spotted Akane, it looked up and squealed, and the black-haired girl's eyes lit up.

"Ryoga! There you are! It's been so long since I've seen you!" Akane scooped the pig up in her arms, while Ukyou stood there, confused.

Why was Akane calling P-chan Ryoga? That had always been Ranma's thing, calling Ryoga P-chan, as an insult to his rival. But Akane wasn't supposed to remember Ranma. Wouldn't she also have forgotten Ryoga? Had she discovered the pig again, and for some reason she named him Ryoga? Why would she remember the name, when she didn't remember the person?

Ukyou followed as Akane walked through the front door, calling out a greeting as she did so. "Kasumi! We're home!" Akane ruffled the fur on the pig's head, and then called out again. "Oh, and Ryoga's home as well. Would you bring his spare clothes to the furo, and call Akari and tell her where he is?"

"Come on, Ukyou, this won't take a minute," Akane said, and she led Ukyou around the family room and back to the furoba. Suddenly, an idea started to form in Ukyou's head, and she started to try to deny it. But it all made a horrifying kind of sense. She had never really seen that much of Akane's pet, but she knew that Ranma harbored a deep jealousy of it, and that he was known to constantly pick on it. She glanced at the pig, which was eyeing her suspiciously, and noticed his little orange bandanna. Just like the bandanna Ryoga wore. It couldn't be... could it?

Akane continued to talk cheerfully to her pet, telling him how much she had missed him. As she stepped into the furoba, and opened up the divider into the bathing room proper, Kasumi came in behind them. She had a bundle of clothes in her arm. "Here you go, Akane," Kasumi said sweetly. She then turned to the pig. "Hello, Ryoga," she said, and her voice became marginally harder. "Will you be staying long this time?"

The pig looked up at her with his round eyes, and then sheepishly looked away. He then shrugged his tiny shoulders. Ukyou's mouth fell open. Any doubts she may have had were banished. The intelligence in the little animal's gaze was unmistakable, and he had clearly responded to Kasumi's question.

Akane set him down in the bathing room, and then took the pile of clothes and set then down next to him. "We'll be waiting outside, while you change. Don't take too long." With that, she stepped back outside and slid the divider closed.

There was a splash from inside the room, and then silence for a few moments. This was followed by the sound of someone getting out of the furo, someone larger than a simple pig, Ukyou noted, and then more silence. Finally, the divider slid open, and Ryoga stood there. He looked just the same as usual, in his brown pants and yellowish shirt, with the bandanna around his head.

"Thank you, Akane," he said. Ukyou just stared at him, her eyes bugging.

"Ukyou, I'd like you to meet my friend Ryoga," Akane said, introducing them. "Ryoga, this is Ukyou. I just met her yesterday."

"We... um... we already know each other." Ryoga put a hand behind his head, laughing self-consciously.

Ukyou finally found her voice. "RYOGA IS P-CHAN?"

"Oh! P-chan! That's so cute!" Akane clapped her hands, and for a moment, Ukyou was taken aback by her former rival's burst of girlishness. "That's a perfect name for him!"

"Um... that's what Ukyou called me," Ryoga said. He had started to blush a little, and touched his fingertips together. "She didn't know my secret."

Akane's eyes widened. "Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't know you were keeping your curse a secret." Akane shot a glance at Ukyou, and had a decidedly apologetic look on her face.

"No, that's okay. I don't mind her knowing." Ryoga managed a sheepish grin, while Ukyou glared at him.

"So how long have you know this guy?" Ukyou asked Akane. She couldn't keep from growling, but apparently Akane didn't notice.

"Well, I first met Ryoga about six months ago. Of course, I had known him before, but as with you, I didn't remember that. Ryoga said that we had been really good friends, though, and he was worried about me. When he found out what happened to me, he got really, really angry."

"Oh, yeah?" Ukyou glared at Ryoga again. "Let me guess. This guy fed you some line about how the two of you had been boyfriend and girlfriend, didn't he? And then declared his undying love for you? Am I right?" It would be just like Ryoga to take advantage of the situation the moment Ranchan was out of the picture, she thought. From the blush that spread over his face, she figured that confirmed it.

Akane shook her head, though. "Ryoga told me that he had once had feelings for me, but then he found Akari, and he made a commitment to her. He didn't want to ruin that. He said that I had always treated him as a friend, and that he'd never been able to tell me the truth." Akane studied Ukyou's surprised expression for a moment. "Was there more to it than that?"

"No, not really." Ukyou gestured at Ryoga. "I'm just surprised this pig could tell you, is all. He was always too shy to come out and say it, before. I tried to fix you two up on a date, once, but the moron wouldn't make his move."

"Oh, really? Ryoga didn't tell me that." Akane looked at him, and Ryoga laughed nervously. She looked back at Ukyou. "You're right, though. He was very shy around me at first. I actually had to ask him what was wrong before he would admit it to me."

"Honestly, I wouldn't have been able to say anything at all if I didn't have Akari," Ryoga added, reluctantly. "Eventually I just... I just decided that Akane needed to know the truth."

Ukyou eyed him suspiciously. "And that's when you told her about the curse?"

"No, he told me about that right away. Apparently, his curse had come between us in some way." She pursed her lips. "He didn't want that to happen again, so he went and jumped into the koi pond, so I could see the curse for myself." Akane glanced at Ukyou. "Of course, I had seen Uncle Saotome's curse, so I already knew about Jusenkyo." She looked thoughtful. "You don't have a curse, do you?"

"No, no. I've never been to China." Ukyou regarded Ryoga with a thoughtful expression herself. "Tell you what, Akane, why don't you go on back to the family room and wait for us. I want to have a private chat with Ryoga here. Just to catch up on old times." She practically hissed the last two words, and Ryoga gulped.

"Sure, Ukyou. I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do." Akane wandered back down the engawa and turned the corner to head back around the side of the house.

Ukyou waited until Akane was well out of sight, and then pushed Ryoga back into the furo. "All right, 'Pig Boy', did Akane know about this before? And don't you DARE lie to me!"

Ryoga blushed deeply and looked at the ground. "No..."

"Did she take you into her room when she was changing clothes?"

"Yes... but I never looked, I swear!"

Ukyou gritted her teeth. "Did you sleep with her?"

"... Yes."

Ukyou slapped him. "And Ranchan knew about this?"

"It's all Ranma's fault!" Ryoga protested. "He's the one who cursed me!"

Ukyou slapped him again. "Did Ranchan know about this?" she repeated. "Did he LET you sleep with Akane?"

"No! Or... well, not really. He was always trying to get me out of there." Ryoga looked stricken. "Look, at first it was just to punish Ranma, you know? But then I really started to fall for Akane. I knew what I was doing was wrong. But I didn't know how to get out of it! If I told her, she would HATE me! I couldn't think of any way to get out of it without ruining everything..."

Ukyou grabbed him by his collar. "You still should have told her," she growled.

"I did! The moment I saw that Akane had lost her memories, I realized, this was my chance!" His eyes lit up, excitedly. "I was being given a second chance, and I could start over, and do it RIGHT this time! I told her right away, so she wouldn't see me, and take me in as her pet again! She could get to know me as me, and not as 'P-chan'." He lowered his eyes again.

"And are you going to make your move on her, now that you have a 'second chance'?" Ukyou growled. "It might work out this time. Ranchan's not around any more. Akane might appreciate a man who's strong and can take care of her, in her condition."

Ryoga looked up into her eyes, and Ukyou realized he had thought about it. She could see the conflict, as he fought against himself. But then he looked down again. "No, I'm not the kind of guy who would abandon Akari. Like..." his voice trailed off.

"Like Ranma did to Akane." Ukyou finished.

"I meant what I said." Ryoga met her eyes again. "I want to be with Akari now, and if she'll have me, I'd like to be with her for the rest of my life." His expression turned serious. "But Akane needs me. And even if it's just as a friend, I'm going to be there for her." He looked down again. "Whenever I can find the place, anyway."

"Does Akari know about this?"

Ryoga nodded. "She didn't speak to me for a month after I told her. And the beating she gave me was worse than any Akane ever gave Ranma." He smirked, although his eyes still remained locked on the floor. "That girl picks up sumo pigs with her bare hands, you know."

"Good. That means I don't have to beat you for it." She tilted his head up. "I'm going to be watching you, 'P-chan'..."

"I think if I ever mess up again, Kasumi and Nabiki will officially kick me out of the house. So I better make sure not to mess up again."

"You better not." Somewhat reassured, Ukyou led Ryoga out of the furoba.

As they turned the corner in the hall, a thought struck Ukyou. "You know, you're probably lucky you decided to tell Akane when you did. Ran... The Director's been sending her girls to keep an eye on Akane. If you had tried to pose as Akane's pet again, they probably had orders to "out" you on the spot."

Ryoga shuddered. "I hadn't thought of that. I really don't know why Ranma never told Akane about me, although I'm sure it had something to do with honor and the martial artists' code. But now that he's... well, now that Akane's lost her memory, I'm sure he wouldn't want it to happen again."

He looked at Ukyou. "Have you kept in touch with... the Director?"

"Not as much as I should have, apparently. This all caught me by surprise. But I talked to the Director. She explained why she did what she did to Akane."

"Really!" Ryoga's eyes brightened again. "What did he say? Can Akane be cured?"

"She, Ryoga." Ukyou reminded him. "We shouldn't even be talking about Ranma where Akane might hear us. And the Director is 100% woman, now. I don't even know if she can change back, her tenki has changed her so much." She paused a moment. "It's happening to Konatsu, too."

"Oh..." Ryoga looked uncomfortable. "Well, what did she say?"

"There's no 'cure'. The operation isn't reversible. Akane was brainwashed, and a second personality loyal to the former Director was planted in her tenki. So it had to be removed."

"Tenki?"

"What enables me to do this..." With that, Ukyou transformed into her magical girl guise. A second later, she changed back.

Ryoga's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "You're a... you're a..."

"A magical girl, yes. Ranchan helped me achieve tenki so I could help in the fight. I couldn't save Akane." She clenched her fist in frustration. "But at least with my help, Ran... the Director was able to overthrow her predecessor and try and make the Institute a force for good."

Ukyou then laughed. "Damn, that sounds cheesy. I sure hope that's what we did."

* * *

That evening at dinner, the Tendo family room was pretty crowded, with all the guests sitting around the table. Ukyou noted that Nodoka sat next to Akane, in Ranma's former place. Ukyou had taken a seat to Akane's right, with Ryoga next to her.

Although Ukyou hadn't visited the Tendo home very often, she had stayed with them when Ranma and Akane had pretended to be married. She had tried Kasumi's cooking, and had been suitably impressed with the elder Tendo daughter's skill. Nodoka's help in the kitchen had only made the food even better, and Ukyou found the meal quite enjoyable. She had kept her own skills sharp by working as an okonomiyaki vendor from time to time, but she really didn't have the heart to return to work in her restaurant. For now, Akane needed her for friendship and support.

As the family was finishing their meal, Ukyou cleared her throat. "I've been thinking, and I want to discuss something with you, Akane, and the rest of your family, too." She glanced over at Soun, to see him watching her curiously. "I'd like to return to Furinkan, and I'd like Akane to come with me. Do you think she's ready to go back to school?"

Soun immediately broke down into a sobbing, quivering mess. "Waaaaaaa! My baby can't go back to school! She's still too sick!"

"Daddy!" Akane looked ashamed of her father's blubbering. "I've gotten a lot stronger lately! I don't get sick nearly as much as I used to. My last really bad bout with the flu was over a month ago!"

"I think Akane is physically fine," Ukyou agreed, "I'm more worried about her education level. Akane told me you and Kasumi have been teaching her. Do you think she's ready to attend Senior classes?"

"I don't know, Ukyou," Kasumi said gently. "But haven't you been out of school for over a year yourself?"

"That's what I was thinking," Ukyou told her. "I've tried to keep up with schoolwork as much as I could, when I was on the road. But I'll have to work pretty hard to catch up. I was thinking that if Akane and I do it together, we can help each other."

"That sounds like fun," Akane says, with a bashful smile. "And I'd love to see my old friends again. Oh, can I go? Please, daddy?"

Soun looked like he might be about to give in, but Genma threw in his two cents' worth. "What about those boys who attacked Akane, and the Kuno boy as well? I don't think she's ready to face that sort of a fight yet."

"I was thinking we would start back tomorrow, without any warning. That should keep them from re-organizing the morning attacks. Plus, I believe Kuno hasn't been seen around lately. Shouldn't he have graduated by now?"

"Yes," Nabiki put in. "He and I both graduated at the beginning of the semester. I put in my application to college, but haven't accepted it yet until... things around here straighten out." She glanced at Akane as she said this.

"And if Kuno hasn't been able to see Akane at school, surely he would have come around here by now." Ukyou paused a moment. "I have it on good authority that Kuno is being kept busy. Which is why he hasn't had time to show up here and cause trouble."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "I suppose you found out all that during your 'rendezvous' in the park today," she said casually. Ukyou glanced at her, catching her meaning. She HAD been watching.

"Let's just say that while I may not trust the source, I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of her report."

The others glanced at her, but didn't question her further. Ukyou sighed. "I think it will do Akane good to be back around friends that she knows and cares about. All this has been hard on her, and she just needs to lead a normal life again. Believe me, I know."

Genma looked unconvinced, until Ukyou added, "And of course, I'll be there to protect her. I'm NOT going to let that nonsense start again, even if I have to fight those boys myself."

Akane started to protest, but cut herself off. Nabiki got a calculating gleam in her eyes, and her sister's expression made Akane look even MORE uncomfortable. To reassure both of them, Ukyou put a hand on Akane's shoulder.

"Akane, I know it's a bit early to think about this, but would you OBJECT to a date, if a boy asked you nicely?"

"I... I suppose not." Akane looked thoughtful. "No one has ever asked me on a date before." She then scowled. "I'm NEVER going out with one of those boys who attacked me, though."

"No one expects you to," Ukyou told her. Akane's reaction was just as she expected, though. This wasn't the Akane who had gone to high school and fought with Kuno and Happosai every day, this was the Akane of grade school, who was just starting to think of boys. If Ukyou could get her off on the right foot, she might still be able to repair the damage done by that one, isolated attack.

"Ryoga," Ukyou said, turning to him. "Why don't you ask Akane out on a date?"

"Me!" Ryoga's eyes went wild, and he almost bolted from the table. "Why me?"

At the same time, Akane added, "Ryoga already has a girlfriend, Ukyou. He has Akari."

"I know that," Ukyou said calmly, grabbing Ryoga by the shoulder and forcing him to sit back down. "Which is why you'll know he won't try anything. You can just go on the date and enjoy it, and it'll be like going out with a friend. In the meantime, you can tell the other boys at school you're already dating, and they can wait their turn."

"That's pretty clever, Ukyou," Nabiki commented. "That just might work."

"But what about... um... Akari?" Ryoga asked. He was blushing and stammering, and his nose was starting to bleed. Ukyou wiped up the blood with a napkin, which only seemed to fluster him more.

"Do you think she would mind, Ryoga? If you explained it to her?"

"Um... ah..."

"Better yet, I'll explain it to her." Ukyou grinned. "I can see you're as bad as these kinds of things as... well, my old boyfriend." She glanced at Akane. "But I'm sure she won't mind. It's just to help Akane, right?"

"Well, okay," Ryoga agreed, although he still looked on the verge of passing out.

"Don't worry about it, you to. After all, I fixed you two up on a date before. I'm sure it'll go better than that!"

* * *

Ukyou and Akane made their way through the school gates, with Nabiki's watchful eyes on them the whole time. "Good luck, you two," she said. "Let me know if everything goes well."

"Oh, really?" Akane regarded her sister with a smirk. "You expect us to believe that you won't find out about everything the second after it happens?"

Nabiki shook her head, with her usual all-knowing grin. "All right, you got me. I might have a FEW girls left 'on the inside'." Her expression turned more serious. "Just remember, I won't be there myself."

"Don't worry," Ukyou said. "If everything goes according to plan, Akane should be fine. And if it doesn't, I'll be right there at her side." She reached back and patted her battle spatula.

Reassured, Nabiki walked out of the gate. As she left, Sayuri and Yuka came running up. "Akane! Akane! Is that really you!"

The girls enthusiastically hugged their old friend, while Akane looked embarrassed. "Come on, guys," Akane said. "Don't make such a big deal."

"When we saw you attack that demon, back at the ice cream shop, we thought we would never see you again!" Yuka almost looked as if she was about to burst into tears. "And then when we didn't hear from you... we feared the worst."

"I'm sorry I worried you," Akane said sheepishly. "I should have given you a call."

Yuka turned to Ukyou. "Who is this? Is it...?" She blinked, then stared closer. "Ukyou? Ukyou, is that YOU?"

"Don't recognize me in the girl's uniform, do you?" Ukyou said with a grin. Although she had registered as a boy before, to continue her father's quest to reclaim her womanhood and take Ranma's name as his wife, as a magical girl of the Pretty Princess Institute her identity was now permanently and legally that of a girl. And the fight for Ranma was over, she added, with a note of melancholy.

She had borrowed one of Nabiki's old uniforms until she could buy one of her own. She had slung her spatula over her back, as she really felt naked without it, but there was no other sign of her former profession. She looked for the most part like any other girl going to Furinkan. Which she supposed was the point.

"This is Ukyou, my friend from before I lost my memory," Akane said, introducing her. "I gather you already know her, though." She leaned in close to her two friends. "She's a magical girl from the Pretty Princess Institute!" She said excitedly. "She told you I could tell you that, but you've got to keep it secret from the rest of the school. She doesn't want anyone else to know."

As Ukyou expected, the girls' eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I had heard you got captured as well. How come you didn't lose your powers like Akane did?" The challenge in Sayuri's voice was unmistakable.

"I assure you," Ukyou said, glancing around to make sure they weren't being overheard. "I've got no more love for the Pretty Princess Institute than you do. But it wasn't them that helped me become a magical girl. It was... the Director." She watched the girls for their reaction, and they both understood. From their scowls, their opinion of Ranma hadn't changed from before.

"Because of that, I'm officially a part of the Institute, but I'm free to go wherever I want. I just got back to Nerima, to find Akane like this." Ukyou gestured at her friend, and Akane looked a little insulted. "I want to help her get better, and I want to help her reunite with her friends, too. I'm sure she misses you a lot."

Now Akane looked embarrassed. "Aw, come on, Ukyou... of COURSE I miss my friends."

"Well, we missed you too, Akane. When you dropped out, it was all the school could talk about. We all teamed up to beat up Kuno for you, you would have been proud of us!"

"Yeah," Sayuri added, "He stopped asking about you after that. I guess we got it through his thick skull. Although he did often ask Nabiki for updates on your physical condition."

It was probably Ranchan that got through to him, Ukyou thought to herself, although she didn't say anything out loud. Probably fed him some story about Akane being "enchanted". Maybe without "Ranma" around, she was able to convince him that Akane needed time to heal. She would have to watch out for him, who knows when the obsessed kendoist might try to make a reappearance.

Ukyou followed as the three girls headed inside, catching up on old news and gossip. Akane looked happy, and even with her gaunt figure and the dark circles under her eyes, she already looked better. Ukyou hoped her recovery would continue just as rapidly.

As Yuka and Akane continued on ahead, Sayuri edged back to whisper to Ukyou. "Are we still supposed to not mention... You-Know-Who around Akane?"

Ukyou nodded. "At least until Akane shows signs of recovering her memories on her own, I think that would be best. I hate lying to her, but..." She glanced at her friend, chatting happily with Yuka. "She knows that 'The Director' saved both of us, and that there was a big fight, but I think it's best if she doesn't know any more than that. There are some things I'D rather not remember about my time at the Institute..."

Sayuri looked at her oddly, but said nothing. The two of them quickly caught up with their friends, and hurried into the school before the bell rang.

As they entered Akane's home room, Ukyou was glad that Miss Hinako wasn't there. The last thing Akane needed in her condition was to have her chi drained, and the child-like teacher was just too unpredictable to be trusted. The teacher that was in the classroom was obviously a Senior class teacher, and she had seen him in Nabiki and Kuno's home room, but not often enough to know his name. She pulled him aside to apologize for showing up so unexpectedly with Akane, and asked him for the chance to speak to the class.

Akane addressed the class first. "Some of you may know me from before, but for those who don't, I'm Akane Tendo. I'm very happy to be back at Furinkan, and I'll do my best. I hope to get to know all my old friends again." With that, the teacher assigned to her to a seat next to Sayuri and Yuka, and she sat down.

Ukyou then spoke up next. "Okay, I'm Ukyou Kuonji, and some of you may know me, and some of you may not. But I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I asked Akane to come back to school with me, and I'm going to be looking out for her. Which means, no matter what you may think about Akane being 'available' now, and whether you can 'challenge' her for a date, as far as I'm concerned, that whole thing is null and void, as of this minute."

A number of boys in the room were beginning to grumble among themselves. Ukyou spoke up quickly, before they could say anything. "Right now, Akane is dating Ryoga Hibiki. She needs a little time to herself, so I don't want anyone asking her for a date until SHE decides she's ready. After that, if you want to come up to her, and ask NICELY, you may, as long as you understand if she says she's not ready yet.

"And one other thing. No one who has EVER attacked Akane can ask her out. No exceptions." The boys began to grumble again, and Ukyou raised her voice to speak over them. "NO EXCEPTIONS! That includes those who were in the first attacks but didn't attack that last time. I don't care if Akane remembers you or not, if I see any of you perverts bothering her, you'll answer to me... and that goes for the rest of Akane's friends as well." When the grumbling continued, she added, "Right, Sayuri, Yuka?"

"Right!" they both added, without hesitation. Akane was blushing and hiding her face in her hands, but Ukyou felt it was worth the embarrassment to get this over with.

One boy raised his hand. "But what about Ranma... ?"

Ukyou was in his face before he could blink. "NEVER mention that name to me again! The only people you need to worry about are me, Akane, and Ryoga Hibiki! You'd best just forget that name."

"Uh... uh... yeah." The boy stammered. Out of the corner of her eye, Ukyou noticed the blonde haired boy, one of Ranma's friends, look stricken. But there was nothing she could do about that now.

Akane leaned a little closer to Yuka. "She really did love him, didn't she?" she whispered, although it was just loud enough for her to pick it up. Ukyou forced herself not to react. Yuka just stared at her friend for a moment, and then shrugged.

Ukyou pulled herself together. "I've said all I intend to say. May I be seated?" She glanced back at the teacher, who gestured at a chair near Sayuri and Yuka. Ukyou took it.

The rest of the day passed quietly. Ukyou found that she had to concentrate hard to keep up with the lessons, but Akane was obviously struggling, too, and Sayuri and Yuka did their best to help out the both of them. Akane seemed to be pleased with the progress she had made, and was all smiles when she got an answer right. With the years that Ukyou had spent on the road, and the chaos of her life, she had never really been bothered that she couldn't keep up with her work. She had her okonomiyaki shop, and that was good enough for her. For Akane, though, Ukyou guessed that falling behind in school had been terribly disappointing to her.

Eventually, lunch time rolled around, and Akane's friends gathered around to ask Ukyou questions. "So where have you been this last year?" Sayuri asked, opening with the obvious question. The one that didn't involve Ranma, anyway, and Ukyou appreciated that she wasn't going to ask it.

"Well, with everything that happened, you know, I had to get away. I hope you realize I escaped what happened to Akane by the barest margin." She smiled at Akane, who looked uncomfortable at being the center of attention. "So I can certainly understand what she's going through.

"Basically, I just wandered around Japan. I went home to Osaka, to visit my father." A wistful expression appeared on her face, but she shook it off. "I had some things to clear up, but once I did, he was happy to see me, as always. I couldn't stay, though. I guess it's like they say... you can't go home again."

"Did you... get into any adventures?" Since Akane's friends were around, Sayuri didn't want to talk about Ukyou being a magical girl. But it was obvious that's what she meant.

"A couple of times. That's how I met Akane again, in fact." She hesitated, realizing that some of Akane's other friends might have been in that group. "I came along just as she was attacking that demon. Fortunately, a couple of magical girls happened to show up and fought it. I dragged Akane back out of the line of fire. I may be a martial artist, but even I know not to fight a demon bare-handed."

"Oh, so THAT'S what happened," Sayuri said, with a knowing wink. "Well, it's a good thing you came along when you did."

Ukyou had just started into a story about how she had started working from an okonomiyaki cart up and down the coast, when another girl approached the little group. She was very timid, and wouldn't speak up until Akane asked her, "Do you have a question?"

The girl lowered her eyes shyly. "Excuse me, but are you Akane Tendo?"

"Yes," Akane said kindly. "I am Akane Tendo."

"Um..." She glanced around. "My name is Yumiko. I'm sure you don't remember me, but I transferred here to Furinkan about a year ago. It was... it was about the time all those boys attacked you." She wrapped her arms around herself, glancing at Ukyou as she did. It was obvious that Ukyou's speech this morning had intimidated her.

Ukyou smiled to reassure her. "Go on," she said. "What did you want to ask?"

"That was really frightening!" Yumiko said. "I was thinking... what kind of school is this? But then I asked around, and I found out who you were. I found out you had fought them before, and kept them away.

Akane took the girl's hand. "That was really frightening for me, too," she said. "But I'm a martial artist. I often have to deal with danger. I've learned to put it behind me."

"That's what I heard," Yumiko said, her head bowed. "But then I found out what had happened to you. That you had been returned to your family with amnesia, and you had no idea what happened to you. And... and that you were sick, and really weak, and that was why you couldn't defend yourself. You were caught by surprise, and not as strong as you used to be."

"And?" Akane asked gently, still holding the girl's hand. Ukyou marvelled that Akane could take all that and show no sign of insult. Although clearly this girl posed no threat to her. Yumiko was incredibly skinny, and her face was pale and drawn. Ukyou's eyes narrowed as she studied the girl a little more closely. She did look as if she had been sick, which suggested something Ukyou didn't want to think about.

"Well, the same thing happened to me!" she said, confirming Ukyou's suspicions. "That's why my parents moved here, from the Shinjuku district. I woke up one morning, and I had been returned to my family, and was sick with a terrible fever. And I had no knowledge of what had happened over the last six months or so. Plus I... I felt there was something missing from my life. Something... something that was important."

Ukyou's expression had become intense. "Have you ever joined the Pretty Princess Institute? Or had you heard of them, or been thinking of joining them?"

The girl blushed deeply. She looked around the room, and then sat down next to Ukyou. "My parents told me never to mention that I had been a Pretty Princess," she whispered. "They're afraid they might take me away again."

"It's all right," Ukyou said. "You're among friends here. Why do your parents think the Institute would take you away?"

"I had been a Pretty Princess for about two years before I was returned to my parents in Shinjuku. I remember that clearly, although there are gaps in my memory. But I loved being a Pretty Princess. My parents always said I was too young, I should finish High School first, but I insisted. Then, about a month before I reappeared, they lost touch with me.

"When I was returned to them, the Institute left a pamphlet saying that I had been critically injured in an Institute operation and had lost my magical girl powers. They also suggested I return to the Institute periodically for psychological and medical examination. My parents don't trust the Institute though, and they threw those pamphlets away. Now I'm worried about what could happen if I DON'T get medical treatment. Could I get even sicker?"

Ukyou was stunned for a moment at this revelation. Now THAT was a shock. The Institute WAS showing concern for these girls. But that didn't change the fact that they had done this in the first place - and Akane was not the only victim. She now recalled something Ranma had said; "The Institute is for magical girls, and Akane and all the other T09's, those that were still new enough to go through the operation, they wouldn't be magical girls any more. We couldn't really justify holding them, or using government resources to house them."

Ranma knew! She knew the whole time, and hadn't even bothered to mention it! Ukyou tried to control a burst of rage. Obviously, Ranma had never expected her to run across any more of these "T09-3s" as she called them, and never expected their families to reject the Institute either. Or maybe she did expect it, but figured she couldn't do anything about it. Ukyou clenched her fist. Well, the Director might not be able to do anything, but she sure could!

The girl had continued talking while Ukyou was distracted. "I'm really scared! What if the Institute decides my parents aren't taking proper care of me and take me back? I don't want to leave my family, but I still trust the Pretty Princess Institute! I know what people have said about Director Silvervine leading a coup against the government, but I can't believe that happened! Or at least... I once believed." Her face fell. "I can't even remember what happened."

Ukyou took Yumiko's hand again. "Don't worry. We can take care of you. We have a doctor, who has dealt with this kind of problem before. He's treating Akane now, and he's really good. I'm sure he will be able to tell if your condition gets worse." I'll have to talk to Ranma about the potential complications, Ukyou said to herself. I'll need to know what to look for.

For a moment, she wondered if the Tendos had been given the pamphlets as well, and just threw them away, like this girl's parents did. It would make sense, given how they felt about 'The Director'. Nabiki would know, and might have kept them. She doubted they went into any detail, but they might have some useful information.

Meanwhile, Akane was comforting Yumiko. "It sounds like you really enjoyed being a senshi. I'm sorry that you can't become one again."

"Oh, you can't call me a Senshi!" She said, blushing. "That title is for defenders of royalty, or high-ranking officials only. I was just a magical girl, that's all."

"Oh? I didn't know." Akane glanced at Ukyou, but she shrugged. She hadn't been there long enough to pick up the social niceties, and didn't care to find out. "I didn't mean to offend."

"That's okay, I'm not offended, although I suppose some of our instructors might be." Yumiko grinned amiably. "Even though I'm no Knight of the Crown, if I impressed the Director, I might be granted a title, like Chevalier."

Akane flinched. Ukyou noticed the reaction. That was the title Artemis had given Akane. Did the dark-haired girl remember that, or had the word just triggered a random memory? Akane was looking very disturbed, but she didn't seem to be panicking or losing control. Ukyou watched her carefully, but Akane stayed calm.

Yumiko had not noticed their discomfort, and was still talking. "I guess it's accepted for the common people to call any magical girl a senshi. Sailor Moon's Senshi are so famous, after all." She giggled. "I always wanted to be like them."

Akane looked a little embarrassed. "I always liked Sailor Jupiter a bit, myself. I would love to spar with her some time, just to see how I measure up as a martial artist." She lowered her eyes. "I'm sure she'd win... especially now." Her face fell.

"Cheer up, Akane," Ukyou told her. "We'll get you back in fighting shape in no time." She turned to Yumiko. "And we can help you, as well. While I'm sure you're not interested in being a martial artist, our training can help your strength, and healing, and help you fight off illness, as well. It'll help repair the damage that was done by... the fight that you got caught up in."

"Do you really think you can help me?" Yumiko asked. There was no mistaking the desperation in her voice.

"Of course," Ukyou answered. "Meet us after school, and we'll take you to the Tendo dojo. You can call your folks from there, and let them know you're safe. Then we'll go over to Dr. Tofu's and have him take a look at you, and we'll verify that your case is the same as Akane's."

"And in the meantime," Akane put in, with a bright smile, "we can run over to the ice cream shop! I can think of no better way to welcome a new friend!"

* * *

Author's Notes:

I should mention that from what I have discussed with Xylix, he had a very different vision of the aftermath of "Haigeki". However, when I read the last chapter, something jumped out at me, and Ukyou mentions it here. Rather than dealing with Akane directly and talking to her about submitting to the operation, Ranma left that to others. Of course, Ranma was incredibly busy, and had demands on her time from people she wasn't yet ready to deal with. While things didn't have to happen the way they did here, I saw this as a pattern, which if allowed to continue, could become a sign of a more serious problem.

I think I should also mention that the term "operant conditioning" refers to the act of using punishment or reward to modify behavior. It is similar to but taken a step further than classical conditioning, which you may know as the famous Pavlov's Dog experiment. Michiko used that term in one chapter of "Haigeki", and Ranma repeats it here, referring to the "training" that has so drastically modified her personality.

To Sunshine Temple, and others I may have "faked out" with my cliffhanger from the last chapter, I hope that this chapter answers some of your questions. This story really didn't get started until the very last scene above, which introduced Yumiko. With her, this story goes from being a continuation of what happened in "Haigeki" to a whole new storyline. Ukyou and Akane's problems are really just part of a much bigger picture, and they're just now starting to see that.

This is not to say that Ukyou and Akane's problems aren't important, and we'll see them continue to confront them. But Ukyou has already realized that she got off lucky, and while Yumiko's memory loss seems to be less than Akane's, she doesn't have Akane's strength to fall back on. She needs a lot of help right now, and we'll see if her new friends can give it.


End file.
